Children Playing: Prelude
by Death101- Fox Version
Summary: A drabble series. What if Resident Evil was just a bunch of children playing games around the playground?
1. RE2: Meeting in the Diner

A/N: I blame video games for inspiring me more than manga right now. Also, this will follow more of an American TV show format (random 'episodes' which can be read in almost any order) rather than a normal story format. Think Danny Phantom verses Yu Yu Hakusho.

Summary: A drabble series. What if Resident Evil was just a bunch of children playing games around the playground?

 **Children Playing  
Resident Evil 2: The meeting in the diner**

The city streets were empty. Claire could see that at a glance as she pulled up to the diner. She stepped off her limited edition motorcycle and straightened her pink motorcycle shorts and vest. Her brother was somewhere in this city. She knew it. Now she just had to find him. Like a cowgirl in an old western, Claire pushed open the diner's doors. The inside of the building was a mess but unlike the street outside, there were sounds. It sounded like someone was eating a juicy steak.

Claire stepped deeper into the diner.

"Hello?" she called as she walked towards the eating noises.

The man wasn't eating a steak. He was eating a person! Claire backed away from the man. She refused to die within a minute of entering the city! Claire turned. She ran for the exit. She pushed open the door.

"Duck!"

Claire obeyed the command. A large black ball flew over her head and hit the zombie right between the eyes. It fell back with a groan, holding its nose. The illusion was shattered and Claire returned to reality. The diner was now the metal framework of a domed jungle gym. Sitting on the ground behind her was a blonde teenager whose red baseball cap had been knocked off his head by the force of the ball. His light blue eyes were narrowed in anger as he glared at the boy who stood behind Claire.

"Dam-Darn it, Leon!" Kyle said as he rubbed his nose. "I told you not to use the ball."

"But how do I know if I hit the zombie or not?" Leon asked. With the frown on his face, the boy looked like a smaller version of Kyle. Same blonde hair, same blue eyes. The only differences were age and the fact that Kyle was wearing camo and Leon was dressed head to toe in blue. "Last time you said I kept missing."

The boy and teen continued to argue which gave Claire a chance to rise from her crouched position. Now a young girl dressed in a pink short and vest instead of a young woman dressed in motorcycle gear, Claire's view of the world shifted to adjust for her lower height. Her intelli-intell-smart brown eyes studied the area. Claire's brother stood on the other side of the dome. He was wearing his favourite ninja turtle T-shirt even though he was supposed to be a zombie. Chris smiled at Claire and rolled his eyes in Leon's direction. Jill giggled as she stood beside Chris. Her favourite blue beret had been knocked offside on her head from her acting like a zombie. If she wasn't careful, it would land in the sand and her daddy would be mad. Claire opened her mouth to warn Jill about her hat when the final player of the game climbed down from the top of the jungle gym.

"I'm going to assume this is a time out since no zombies are attacking," Wesker said as he adjusted his dark sunglasses. His blonde hair shone in the sunlight from all the gel he used to keep his hair in place. Unlike everyone else who had dust on their clothing, his black clothing was still clean.

"Leon and Kyle are fighting again," Chris said with a shrug.

"I can see that, Chris," Wesker said as he walked over to the feuding players.

Kyle had stopped rubbing his nose and had rose to his feet. He pointed at Leon. "You were pointing over your shoulder. Wesker told you you can only hit what's in front of you."

Leon crossed his arms in front of himself. "That's dumb."

Bored now, Claire turned her imagination back on. The jungle gym became the bloody remains of the diner and the zombie behind her began to moan again. The cop stood in the doorway and Claire pushed past him.

"What's dumb," Claire said, "is us arguing with zombies when there are more outside!" She started to run towards the street. "Hurry up, cop!"

"Hang on!" Leon shouted as he ran to catch up. The little boy changing into a young man. "Wesker didn't say time in yet!"

"It never stopped you before," Wesker said with a large smirk on his face. "But since you asked. Time in."

The zombies advanced as Claire led the way to the street. Her life was once again in danger but she had a feeling it wasn't the zombies that were going to get her killed.


	2. Misc: Mr Pendleton's yard

**Children Playing  
No specific game: Mr. Pendleton's Yard**

"This is a really bad idea," Chris heard Leon mutter as the three boys crept along the fence.

"Quiet down," Luis hissed back. "Do you want the criminal to hear you?"

"Mr. Pendleton isn't a criminal," Chris whispered back.

Luis rolled his eyes. "Padre and Madre said that he just escaped from prison."

"Released," Leon corrected. "He was released."

"For killing his son."

"For stealing a police car."

"You going to let me tell the story or not?"

"Not if you keep getting the facts wrong."

"I've got an idea," Chris said. He stood tall and reached for his gun. They were hiding outside Umbrella's lab in Central Europe and he needed to be ready. Chris adjusted his forest green vest and hoped the green camo would keep him hidden once they were inside. Crouched behind the low cement wall beside him and Leon was another man.

Chris could tell the man was was ex-military from the way he held himself. The tattoos on the man's arms suggested he had a high pain threshold. The handcuff that still hung from the man's wrist suggested he had once been in custody. The man held out his hand that wasn't holding a shotgun and Chris shook it.

"Rebecca told me about you. I'm Billy."

"Chris."

Leon didn't introduce himself but raised himself slightly to look over the wall. Leon's gray camo helped him blend into the gray cement of the wall but the steel blue baseball cap made him stand out slightly. "We are going to jail," Leon muttered, sounding like a small boy before he shook his head slightly and removed the baseball cap. "Thanks for the tip, Billy. We wouldn't have found this place without you."

Billy smiled as he accepted the praise. "There's a weak point in the wall to our left. We should be able to get in, find the sample, and get back out the same way before they even know we're here."

"Famous last words," Leon muttered as he crouched back down. "What's our back-up plan if we get caught? I'd rather not have my DNA scrambled like Matt."

"Not to mention that something probably has already gone wrong inside the lab," Chris added as he glanced over the wall. Beyond the wall was an empty and derelict courtyard and a small double door in the back of a large home. Shivers ran down Chris' back as he noted the architecture of the building was similar to the mansion where his troubles had begun. There was a key difference here though. While the Arklay Mansion likely had hidden cameras, this manor had them in plain sight. Every corner was covered and ever non-significant event in the courtyard would have been noted if not for the fact that ever camera was dead. A dead camera would normally have resulted in guards swarming the courtyard but the area was silent.

"There's not even a guard," Chris noted as he started to raise himself higher.

"Get down," Leon hissed as he pulled Chris back from the wall. "There's one guard. Dressed in black. Far right corner."

Chris nodded and slowly raised himself to look over the wall again. The guard had looked away from the wall now and was looking at the cameras. Chris recognized the slicked back blonde hair and sunglasses.

"This cinches things," Chris said as he sat back down. "If Wesker's here, things have gone south." He checked his gun and magazine to ensure they were filled with bullets. "There's no point in all of us risking our lives. I'll go alone and get the evidence."

Leon shook his head. "And leave me to explain to Claire why her big brother isn't coming home? Forget it."

"But-"

Billy's shotgun made a snapping noise as he finished reloading it. "Six eyes are better than one. Now let's go!" He said as he charged towards the weak point he had mentioned. Chris and Leon quickly fell into line and followed.

When they got to the hole in the wall, Chris' concerns about the lab being overrun were confirmed. The undead were already starting to scamable through the break. The three men made quick work of the zombies and it was quickly agreed that Leon would take point as he was faster than the other two.

The three stepped through the break. The courtyard was silent and there were no signs of Wesker. A few well placed explosives gave them access to the interior of the manor. Unlike the Arklay mansion, Umbrella must have had more confidence in their security because the labs were located on the first floor behind only one set of locked doors. An explosive lockpick later and the men had access. The labs in this compound were comprised of half glass half wishwashed cemetery cubes no larger than ten by ten feet. Equipment lay spread out on the tables within the cubes as if it was a normal working day. The labs were, thankfully, devoid of Umbrella's workers or their active experiments.

With Billy's careful directions, Leon led the way to the vault. The men had brought more explosives to use on the vault's but they were not needed. The door had been thrown through the wall opposite of the rest of the vault. Shattered glass and broken cement laid scattered on the floor. The steel of the vault door was twisted and maimed. The interior, however, was pristine. The shelves of the vault were stilled lined with test tubes and paper records. Somehow the explosion had not damaged the interior of the vault.

While Chris and Billy kept a lookout, Leon carefully entered the vault. Chris glanced over his shoulder and saw Leon checking the various shelves for the sample. Their instructions had been explicit. If the sample wasn't bright red, they didn't want it. Chris turned his attention back to the hallway outside the vault. Was that movement reflected in one of the windows?

Beside him, Billy readied his shotgun. "Better hurry up, Leon," Chris tossed over his shoulder.

"Damn," Chris heard Leon muttered. A second later, the ex-rookie cop was at their side. "The samples are gone. There's nothing in the vault."

"Are you kidding me?" Billy whisper shouted. He turned and started to walk into the vault himself. Leon blocked him.

The ex-rookie shook his head. "There's no point. It's not just the R-virus. The whole vault is empty of active samples. Someone got here first."

"Wesker," Chris muttered darkly. He shook himself. "We need to abort. Billy-"

Billy's eyes were wide as he looked over Chris' and Leon' shoulder back into the vault. The other two men turned and raised their weapons. Originally, Chris had thought the white walls of the vault were painted concrete. He was wrong. It wasn't concrete, it wasn't even drywall. The vault's walls were glass windows which showed a further honeycomb of labs. All painted white and laid out to confuse the eye. The only hint they were hallways was the creature walking down the hallway towards them.

The creature was seven feet tall. Umbrella had taken weather into account for this monster as it was dressed in a large, black rubber raincoat. The creature wore a gas mask and carried a large hammer on one shoulder. Darth Vader like noises escaped the mask.

"We need to leave," Leon said. "Now."

"Everyone, fall back," Chris ordered. "Billy, take point."

The trio ran for safety but found their way blocked. More zombies.

"Damn it!" Chris shouted. "Wesker must have seen us and left the B. ."

"We've got bigger problems," Leon said. Before he could say more, there was a shattering of glass from the direction of the vault.

"Move it!" Billy ordered.

Even as they blasted through the zombies, they could hear the heavy footsteps and the raspy breathing of the monster getting closer. Worse, sirens began to scream and red lights began to flash.

"The creep must have activated the self-destruct switch!" Billy shouted.

"It's only a few more feet," Leon said. "Just hang on."

They were almost at the breach in the wall when-

"What are you doing here?" Mr. Pendleton asked as he stood on his back deck.

"Run for it!" Luis screamed.

The trio of small boys disappeared through the gap in the fence.

 _Five minutes earlier_

The mission was simple. Get the ball back before the kids got into trouble.

Step one: get access to the house.

"The kids I'm babysitting kicked their ball over your fence. Mind I get it?"

Mr. Pendleton shrugged and led the way through his house and opened the back door.

Step two: locate the ball.

Wesker scanned the backyard. It was child's play to locate the red ball on the far side of the yard. The boys should try out for soccer, Wesker thought.

Step three: obtain the ball.

He grabbed the ball and walked back to Mr. Pendleton. He thought he saw a flash of blue and green duck behind the fence. When he looked back though, there was nothing. Mr. Pendleton led the way back through the house and saw Wesker out the front door.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

His mission completed, Wesker returned to base.


	3. RECV: Meet Steve

**Children Playing**

 **Resident Evil Code Veronica: Meet Steve**

Wesker's left eyebrow arched above his sunglasses. Kyle (or as he was known in game, Krauser) and Leon had arrived late to the playground and the small boy's normally dirty blonde hair was now a deep red colour. It reminded Wesker of the cheap red ink he kept at home for writing letters. The boy's face also had a reddish tint as if he had been crying.

"Go on," Kyle said as he pushed his little brother forward. Leon hung his head and stared at his feet.

"My mom says Leon has to have the same hair colour as me from now on."

"Tell them why," Kyle prompted.

Leon looked up at his brother. The look of betrayal was clear. The boy looked down at his shoes again.

* * *

"Hey Mom," Leon asked as he peeked around the door frame. "Do we have any red ink?"

He had stuck his thumb in his mouth just in case but his mother barely glanced up from her mopping.

"It's in your father's writing desk. Are you writing a letter?"

"Sorta." Leon disappeared from the doorway and continued his mission. He knew he could have asked his brother to obtain the key to the desk but then the surprise would be ruined.

* * *

"Then Mom found me with the red ink and freaked out," Leon concluded.

With Leon's story now finished, the other children began to become restless.

Jill hopped down from the monkey bars and added, "I tried to dye my hair brown like Jill," she said, shaking her previously blonde locks. "But dad said I couldn't use ash from the fireplace."

The little girl neglected to mention that her father had purchase brown hair dye and helped his father colour her hair no doubt knowing that it wouldn't make Leon feel better.

Claire, however, walked up and hugged the small boy. "I like Leon with blonde hair more," she said. Normally, this would have resulted in a small smile from Leon but today Leon didn't even look up.

"She also said I can't play Leon until the ink washes out of my hair," he added in a small voice.

Wesker frowned. That threw a wrench in his plans to merge the characters in the first game with the characters from the second. Worse, Leon seemed devastated. Wesker glanced at Kyle. The older Kennedy was silent as he watched the drama unfold. Now all the little ones were screaming at this perceived injustice.

"So now what?" Barry asked as the children began trying to figure out ways around Leon's forced retirement.

"Do you want to get on Mrs. Kennedy's bad side?" Wesker asked.

Barry violently shook his head. "No but it will take months for the ink to wash out."

"Two months max," Kyle added. "Leon's got less blonde in his hair and if he thinks to use bleach, it will take even less."

"I hope your mother learned from your experience and has the bleach safely under lock and key," Wesker murmured.

"Sure she does. Just like how the ink is supposed to be." Kyle said as he pulled out and started chewing a stick of gum.

"If we leave him out, he will probably try something," Barry added as the three teens glanced over to the children. The raised voices easily carried over and Wesker uneasily noted that Chris was loudly suggesting that Leon use something else to recolour his hair.

"We really need to keep the Redfields and Leon separate. He's going to pick up on their habits," Kyle noted.

Wesker shook his head. He was sure the habits were going both ways. The Redfields had calmed down significantly since the Kennedys joined the game. (He didn't have to worry about being ambushed out of game anymore for one thing.) Besides, the issue wasn't the habits which were being shared. The issue was what Leon and the other children might do in an attempt to allow Leon to rejoin the game.

"What were Mrs. Kennedy's exact words?" he asked Kyle.

The other teen scrunched up his face. "She said 'Leon, the character, is now a dirty blonde and Leon, the boy," Kyle paused as he tried to recall the exact wording, "can only play a character who has the same hair colour, do you understand, Kyle?'"

"So no Leon?" Barry asked.

"So no Leon," Kyle confirmed.

"So no **Leon** ," Wesker muttered. Sunlight glinted off his sunglasses as he turned to face the riot of children.

"Leon," Wesker said.

The small boy raised his head.

"I want you to meet a character named Steve," Wesker continued. "He's stuck in a prison on an island owned by Umbrella. He meets a young woman named Claire...


	4. RE: Collision Course

**Children Playing**

 **Resident Evil: Collision Course**

 _From speakers overhead came the warning tone. There wasn't much time left. Jill and Chris could feel the lab vibrate under their feet. Barry and Rebecca were waiting above ground the only thing left to do was complete the evacuation. Chris and Jill had one last person to save. The jail cell thankfully wasn't far away and Jill only had to dodge two zombies that she hadn't killed prior to fighting the Tyrant._

 _The warning tone continued screaming overhead as Jill and Chris ran to the cell._

 _Jill opened the door._ _Chris opened the door._

 _The cell was empty._

Jill and Chris looked at each other. The cell was now an empty space under the play structure. The only thing there was the sand floor and Leon's baseball cap which Chris had 'blasted' off a zombie's head a few rooms ago.

"Well?" Chris asked, his boyish voice far higher than the one he used when playing the indestructible Chris Redfield.

"Well what?" Jill asked, her blue beret stolen from her mother's desk cockeyed on her head.

"Wesker kidnapped you so you should be in the cell, right?"

"Nuh uh, Wesker kidnapped **you**!"

"Maybe Wesker kidnapped both of you," Becky offered as she looked down from her place with Barry on the top of the play structure.

"Can we put our arms down now?" Leon asked. Both he and Claire still had their arms held out in prime grabbing position.

"If Wesker kidnapped both of us, how were we running up to now?" Jill asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Ghosts," Leon offered.

"There are no ghosts in the Arklay Mountains," Wesker said. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes were closed. Next time, he wouldn't run two campaigns at once.


	5. RE2: When Leon met Ada

A/n: Sorry for the delay. The past two weeks have been insane. I'm hoping to post a second chapter today to make up for it but no promises.

Also, because Resident Evil 2 differs from Resident Evil 2 remake, stories set in Resident Evil 2 1998 will be called Resident Evil 2. Those set in Resident Evil 2 Remake will be called Resident Evil 2 Remake. Resident Evil and Resident Evil Remake are similar enough that I don't see any need for distinction.

 **Children Playing  
Resident Evil 2: ****When Leon met Ada**

Leon _paused for a moment outside the door to the parking garage. He hadn't seen or heard that man in the trenchcoat recently but he knew the monster was still around. If Mr. X (as Leon had named him) could take a shotgun to the face and still smash down a wall, a few bullets to the face wouldn't slow him down any. He had tried to radio Claire to warn her but he couldn't have been sure the message had gotten through. He just hoped the zombies and/or lickers hadn't gotten her. His throat was dry and he wished he could be sure the water was drinkable._

 _Leon shook his head. This was no time to give up. He had to find a way out. Claire and any other survivors he could find were counting on him. He checked his supplies and wished he had more pockets for any new supplies he might find in the garage. Maybe he could use the trunk of one of the police vans as a supply box assuming there were any vehicles left inside the underground parking lot._

' _No,' a little voice told him. 'It was better to stick with the RPD boxes.'_

 _Oh well. He could always mix two herbs together to give himself a bit more space._

 _With his trusty shotgun ready, Leon stepped into the parking garage._

 _With the generator on, the area was well lit. Police cars, a large red truck and one or two unmarked vehicles sat neatly parked in rows. There was no blood on the ground or moans that suggested any police officers had succumbed to the chaos in the area. There were also no smashed cement walls so maybe Mr.X hadn't made it this far either or he couldn't punch his way through the material._

 _Leon looked around the room from his place at the door. He frowned as he glanced from side to side. The area seemed too safe after the terrors in the station above. He pulled out his map and quickly checked to see what rooms he could access from the parking garage. Jail, huh? There might be survivors there._

 _Leon looked up from his map. A large blue police van was blocking the door he needed to go through. Leon glanced around again. He really didn't like the silence in the room but there didn't seem to be any reason to use the shotgun. He switched to his handgun and started to walk towards the blue police van._

' _You should loot the police cars,' a little voice said, the Spanish accent colouring the words._

' _I don't have the keys,' Leon muttered._

' _Break a window,' a small boy's voice said. 'Claire and I saw a movie last night where this guy used the bottom-'_

' _Butt!' another voice interjected._

' _Bottom,' the boy's voice continued, 'of the gun to break the glass.'_

' _No breaking windows with guns unless it is with bullets,' a cool man's voice said. 'Now let Leon focus.'_

 _Leon walked towards the police van when-_

 _Bang!_

 _A bullet hit the ground by Leon's sneakers. Leon quickly turned around to face the person who had shot at him._

" _Sorry about that," Claire said, her voice silkier than usual. "When I saw the uniform, I thought you were another one of those zombies."_

" _Claire!?" Leon shouted. "Why'd you shoot at me?!"_

 _Claire pouted and stamped her foot._ Her action breaking the reality. "I'm not Claire," the little girl said. "I'm Ada."

Leon glanced at the rest of the players scattered around the playground. Wesker had his right hand pressed against his forehead again. Chris, dressed in his ninja turtle T-shirt, shrugged and Jill, dressed in her blue Sunday's best dress, looked just as confused. Barry was removing his large trench coat and sat down on the grass outside the sandbox. His large face was red from the heat. Only Becky and Luis seemed to have an idea what was going on.

"I told you, you needed to tell Wesker first," Luis taunted from his place inside the cage-like jungle gym. He waved a newspaper in the air above his head.

"We get to see Ada now?" Becky asked. Her eyes wide with excitement. "Yay! Does Sherry get to meet her too?"

"Sherry is with Claire who is," Wesker paused as if he was having trouble remembering what Sherry and Claire were supposed to be doing, "supposed to be trying to find Sherry right now. Not trying to shoot Leon."

Claire stomped her foot again. Her brown hair, which was not in its normal ponytail, lashed around her face. "I'm. Not. Claire. I'm. Ada!"

Leon also realized Claire wasn't wearing her normal pink vest. Today she was wearing a dark red dress with black shorts that just peeked out underneath.

"Who is Ada?" Barry asked for the group.

"Another headache," Wesker replied as he walked over to put a hand on Claire's shoulder. "Claire, we talked about this. No evil clones for this round."

"Ada's not a clone! She's a spy!" Claire's eyes widened and she shot Leon a horrified look. "But Leon didn't hear that!"

Leon raised both his arms in the universal "don't shoot me" gesture. "Okay. Leon is dumb. Got it."

"He's not **dumb** ," Claire said. "Ada is just a good liar. She has to be to be a spy."

"Granted," Wesker said. "But we'll need more of a description to tell the difference between her and Claire." Wesker glanced to the side. "And we'll need an easy way to tell when you are Ada or Claire," he muttered to himself.

"What about-" Becky started to say.

"Like my hat?" Jill asked. "I leave it at home when I'm not Jill Valentine."

Claire shook her head. "Ada doesn't wear hats."

"Maybe-" Becky tried again.

"What about some tape?" Leon asked. "I used that to keep track of Leon's bite marks." He held out his leg. It was covered in red packing tape from ankle to kneecap.

"Speaking of that," Wesker said, "You should have removed most of that when you healed up."

Leon glanced away. "It sorta… won't come off."

"Lovely," Wesker muttered before he turned back to Claire. "I'm guessing you are Ada for the rest of this session?"

The little girl nodded.

"Good. That will help with confusion for this round. Before next round, think of some way we can tell Ada and Claire apart."

"Hey!" Luis shouted. "Becky has an idea!"

The little girl's face flushed when everyone turned their attention to her. Her voice was small when she said, "Claire always wears pink and Ada always wears red. At least that's what Claire told me."

Claire's eyes widened. "I forgot that! I have lots of red and pink shirts. I'll just keep colour coordi-ated."

"Coordi **nated** ," Wesker corrected. "I'd rather have a clear symbol like Leon and Jill's hats but it will do. Now. Who is Ada?"

As Barry slinked back into his trenchcoat, Claire began to explain.

Ada is a mysterious woman. She has jet black hair and is dressed just like me but more elegant looking...

 _Leon stared at the woman who walked towards him. She was amazing. She was dressed for a night on the town and there wasn't a speck of blood, sweat, or fear on her._

" _Who are you?" he asked as the woman walked past him._

 _The woman paused. "Ada Wong."_


	6. Re4: A Sweet Coat

A/N: Second chapter as promised. I hope these mostly 'out of game' chapters are still entertaining as there are probably going to be more of them going forward. I will still try to have some imagination tie in though.

 **Children Playing  
** **Resident Evil 4: A Sweet Coat**

"Mom! Mom!" Leon burst through the neighbour's front door. Outside the trees were already starting to change colours. Leave fell in piles surrounding the crescent of miscellaneous brownstones, bungalows wrapped protectively around the small park and pond. "Did it come it?"

Mrs. Kennedy sat back on her heels and used the heel of her hand to wipe the sweat from her face. Her washing rag laid on the ground in front of her in a puddle of soapy water.

"Watch it," she flatly stated, "slippery floor."

Leon froze with one foot posed above the floor. He stepped back onto the doormat.

"Did it come in?" he demanded. His little body was vibrating.

"I haven't checked our mail-" Her little boy was off like a shot across the yards. He jumped the Redfield's fence, tripped on his landing and rolled to stop beside his mailbox.

"A for effort," a little girl's voice said. Leon looked up and saw Claire hanging onto the top of the fence that divided their lawns. Leon could see the tears in her pink fall coat. Some had been mended for the second or third time.

"E for effort," Leon replied. "A for amazing."

"B for Bu-."

"Claire! No cursing!" came Wesker's shout from the house.

Claire rolled her eyes. "B for Baloney."

Leon stood up and dusted off his jacket. The sleeves were too short on him so a length of arm was apparent. Pretty soon, it would be his cousin's jacket so Leon wanted to try to keep it neat. "Wesker watching you?"

"Yeah," Claire said. "So I can't leave the yard until Chris finishes cleaning up his room otherwise I have to stay home."

"He's really strict, huh? I'm glad mom doesn't make me have a watcher."

"That's cuz Kyle babysits you."

"It's not babysitting. It's called 'supervising'." Jeez. How old did Claire think he was? Three? Besides, Leon's older brother's method of supervising usually consisted of telling Leon to go visit the Redfields, watch a movie, or clean something. Thinking of his older brother reminded Leon of the reason he jumped the fence in the first place.

"Did the mail guy come yet?"

Claire tilted her head to the right. "The dark guy that always says the mail won't deliver itself? He came a few minutes ago."

Leon almost tore the door off the mailbox as he pulled the parcel into the sunlight.

"What's it?" Claire asked as she strained to pull herself up higher. "Leon, I can't see."

Leon had a large grin on his face as he carried the parcel over to the fence. "Hang on. I'll climb over." He tossed the parcel to Claire and then jumped over the fence. Once again, he tripped on his landing.

"Is Leon going to be doing a lot of jumping in the next game?" Claire asked. "Cuz you might want to borrow Luis' hockey padding."

"I'll get the hang of it. I just need more practice."

Claire shook the parcel in her hands. Something shifted inside but it didn't sound like candy or toys. "So what it is?" She stared at the label. "Eaton's," she read. "Who's he?"

"It's a catalogue my mom gets. Sometimes, we order stuff but my mom likes to look at the dresses and get ideas but check it out." Leon grabbed the box and quickly ripped it open. He carefully opened the tissue paper knowing his mom would want it. Inside the parcel was a brown suede coat with brown sheep wool collar and cuffs.

"My dad caught the guy who broke into the grocery store last week," Leon explained as he held up the coat. "Kyle said the guy also stole from Eaton's so they asked Dad what he wanted as a reward."

"So you got a new coat?"

Leon grinned. "Yup. Kyle just got one so it was my turn for something new." Leon's smile lessened slightly. "I still need to be careful with it though so someone can use it when I outgrow it."

Leon carefully took off his coat and put on the new one. It felt good but he could already see he would outgrow it by next winter.

Claire whistled. "Can I try?"

Leon nodded and handed the coat over. Claire quickly slipped into it. The sleeves covered her hands and then some. She rolled back the sleeves and ran her hands over the wool. "It's so soft," she giggled. Leon smiled. He had an idea who could use his coat next year.

Claire handed the coat back to Leon and he slipped it back on. Chris and Wesker stepped out the front door and joined Leon and Claire on the lawn.

"Hello Leon," Wesker said calmly although he had a strong arm on Chris' shoulder. Chris meanwhile looked sullen and annoyed. Leon wondered if the Chris' room was actually dirty or if he was having trouble following orders again. "Ready for the next game?"

Leon grinned. "I was born ready."

Chris seemed to recover some of his normally good mood. "You'd better be," Chris said. "I 'm helping Wesker come up with some really crazy stuff. I owe you for what you did to Jill."

"The giant worm was Claire's idea."

"The clocktower fight was yours though."

Leon nodded. "I didn't know she was scared of heights though."

"Enough," Wesker said. "Let us begin with the drive into the village. Chris, Claire?"

The Redfield duo nodded and ran to sit in their go-cart. Wesker turned to Leon.

"Now Leon. It's been six years since the Raccoon City incident. Umbrella is no more. What have you done since then?"

 _Leon had survived Raccoon City, helped gotten to Claire and Sherry to safety and made a name for himself. He was now a member of the United States of America's secret service. His first mission was to guard and protect the president's family. Unfortunately, before he could take on the responsibility, the President's daughter had been abducted from college. Now his mission was to locate the girl, rescue her, and bring her home._

 _Leon, the secret agent, was ready for everything._

 _An axe flew by his head._

 _Well almost everything._


	7. RE: Jill Sandwich (Because I have to!)

**Children Playing  
Resident Evil: Jill Sandwich**

It was supposed to be the perfect plan.

"Why don't we use the empty house on the other side of the block?" Luis asked.

The Redfield duo were banned from playing for a week.

"Isn't it haunted?" Becky replied, holding her teddy bear close.

Without Chris, the story was at a standstill.

"Ghosts only happen when dead people are around," Claire replied.

But Jill was also a member of the Alpha team.

"Dad said someone died in there," Chris reminded the group.

She could start the story over from scratch.

"My dad said the owner got arrested," Leon said.

They even had the perfect play area.

"Daddy said no one wanted to live there," Jill added.

It wasn't like anyone lived there anymore.

"Alright." Chris nodded to himself. "Let's go."

It wasn't like the house was dangerous… or so they thought.

The crawl space under the stairs had seemed like a great place to find a secret entrance to a lab. Jill had squeezed through and found herself in a secret room with a small window that was barely large enough for a child to pass through. She had found the entrance to the labs! Then things started to go wrong in reality. Jill had been too far into the illusion to hear the wood creak as Luis started to follow her down. She had been knocked out of the illusion when the stairs collapsed with a crash. Jill didn't bother to try to move the rubble. The floor above her creaked ominously as Luis quickly dashed back towards the front door. Jill had ran for the small window and desperately tried to open it. She had been trapped!

Now, Jill squeezed herself tighter and tried to keep as far away from the ceiling as possible. She could hear the wood above her creaking. If Luis didn't get help soon, she'd be squished! Jill hear something crack. The wooden beams above her lowered further. Jill screamed.

"Jill! You in there!?" a male voice shouted.

"Barry!" Jill shrieked. "I'm stuck!"

She saw Barry's stubbly face look through the window. "Jill! Hand on! I'll get you out!"

The wood creaked again.

"Hurry!"

"Cover your face, Jill!"

The little girl raised her arms and covered her face. She heard breaking glass. She started to lowered her arms.

"Keep your face covered."

Jill obeyed. She heard more breaking glass and the sounded of it being dragged across the ground. It reminded her of when she broken a glass and had to sweep it up.

"Okay, Jill," Barry said. "Hold out your hand."

Jill lowered her arms and saw Barry's red sweater held out to her. "Put that on. We don't want you getting cut."

Jill wiggled into the sweater. The creaking was getting louder. The sweater was really big on Jill. It covered her arms, neck and even most of her legs. Barry held out his hand again.

"Grab on, Jill."

Jill grabbed on. Barry reached in with his other hand and grabbed her arm. With one tug, he whipped her out of the house.

The wood inside gave one more creak and crash before settling.

Barry patted Jill on the head. "That sure was close."

Luis nearby was unable to speak English but was loudly exclaiming in Spanish. They were lucky no one was around to hear him and tell their parents.

Jill got to her feet and gave Barry a huge hug. "Thanks, Barry!"

Barry grinned and hugged her back. "Hey, what are cousins for?" He sat the little girl down. "Now how about we get back to Raccoon City."

Jill nodded and put her hand in her cousin's outstretched one. With Luis at the rear, they walked away from the Arklay Manor and back towards Raccoon City.

Jill and Luis were terrified that Wesker would ban them from the games when Barry told him of their adventure. However, at the end of the Redfield ban, Wesker merely said Jill would be the hero for a week or two. (Apparently, Chris had eaten all Claire's veggies at her request which went against Wesker's plans.) Jill and Luis started to believe that Wesker didn't know until...

 _Hanging on the wall was a beautiful shotgun. If Jill had it, she could make easy work of the zombies. Jill reached out and took the shotgun from the wall. The hooks the shotgun laid on moved up into the wall. Jill quickly turned and pointed her shotgun out into the room. No secret panels revealed zombies. No trap door opened dropping her into danger. The room was safe._

 _Jill carefully lowered the shotgun and walked forward. She exited the room. She heard the doors click shut. Before she could move, the ceiling started to lower. Jill turned back and tried to reopen the door. It was locked! She ran to the other door. It was also locked!_

" _Jill?" called a voice. "Are you in there?!"_

" _Barry?!" Jill shouted._

 _The door shot open and Barry waved at her. "Come on!"_

 _Jill slip through the open door. Just in time. The ceiling crashed into the floor. Bang!_

 _Jill looked up at Barry. "Thanks, Barry."_

 _Barry merely smiled. "That was close. You were almost a Jill Sandwich."_

Behind their backs, Wesker smiled. Leave it to Barry to give the show away.


	8. RE4: It's Game Time

A/N: Sorry the story was delayed. Things are hectic where I am. I was hoping to post this story weekly but as you can see, I am not always successful. Until further notice, this story will update bi-weekly with occasional weekly updates.

 **Children Playing**

 **Resident Evil 4: It's Game time**

" _Ashley, upstairs!"_

 _Ashley hurried to obey. She had seen those things back in the village enough to trust Leon's judgement._

 _While the sounds of fists banging on wood grew, she cleared the final step of the stairs. The area was large with many windows. Small boxes and pots laid about the area. There weren't a lot of hiding places to choose from. There was a table to hide under but anyone climbing the stairs would be sure to see her. There were piles of logs to hide behind but not enough space for her. That left the large cabinet._

 _Ashley pulled open the door at the same time something downstairs crashed. She heard the creep who had commented on her figure shout to Leon that the villagers were coming through the windows. Ashley hopped inside and closed the doors. She could smell the faint smell of moth balls but was glad that there were no other unpleasant smells like the rest of the village. She didn't think she would ever stop seeing those maggots on the table cloths and flies in the soup. Why had Leon thought it was a good idea to bring her inside?_

 _Ashley curled herself into a tight ball as the sounds of the battle grew. There were more crashes and once or twice explosions. She knew the men were still alive because she heard Luis shouting and Leon's expression of pain when he must have been harmed._

 _She wished she was able to do something to help. Surely, she could be of some use. She could grab some pots and throw them at the villagers' heads. Or maybe she could find some useful items and throw them to Leon and Luis. Ashley started to open the cabinet doors to look for a weapon or a way to help. A small yip of pain escaped her when she reached out her arm. Her chest was hurting. She curled herself into a tighter ball until the pain past. She was a liability. Tears started to form in her eyes. She wanted to help but she couldn't. She couldn't forget the power Saddler had over her. If that horrible person was down there, she might be ordered to hurt Leon and Luis._

 _Ashley tried to stop herself from sobbing. She wanted to be back home. She didn't want to be an adventurer anymore. Not if she couldn't be useful and help._

 _She jumped when she heard the crash of breaking glass windows._

" _Leon! Up here!"_

 _She heard running feet and heard bullets flying around her hiding spot._

 _Leon must have stayed on the main level because Ashley could hear fighting below here._

" _Leon! Up here!" Luis repeated._

 _Leon must not have obeyed because Ashley heard feet run back down to the main level._

 _A moment later, she heard Luis' surprised cry. "You shot me?"_

 _She couldn't hear Leon's reply._

 _A few bullets later and Ashley heard Luis shout again, "Are you trying to kill me?"_

 _Ashley wondered the same thing. Why was Leon attacking Luis? It didn't make sense. Leon had great aim when she was with him. She never saw him miss. It was as if his handgun was a part of him… Oh dear. Ashley now clearly remembered Leon gleefully trading his handgun for a Blacktail._

 _A moment later, she heard Luis growl. "Adios, Leon."_

A child's cry of pain broke the air.

Becky opened her eyes and glanced around. Jill, who was in the process of climbing the firepole to Becky's left, shrugged as best she was able to. Jill slowly slipped down the firepole and Becky hurried to the edge of the play structure where Jill had disappeared to look down. She saw Leon sitting on the ground covering the left side of his face with his hand. There were tears in the boy's eye but he glared at Luis over Wesker's shoulder. The other children were spread out in the sandbox. Claire stood near the other firepole and was biting her ponytail. Chris stood half within the fake window they had made and half outside. Barry stood near Wesker and was playing the part of nurse.

Wesker reached out and pulled Leon's hand from his face. The boy's face was red and his eye was tightly squeezed shut.

"What was that for?!" Leon shouted.

"Open your eye," Wesker said.

"You hit me three times. Suck it up," Luis replied as he crossed his arms. His Nerf gun accidentally fired another sponge bolt in Chris' direction who ducked and fell fully through the fake window.

"Eye looks fine. Must have been a near miss," Wesker said to Barry who held the first aid kit out to the other teen. "We'll have to explain it to Mrs. K though."

"I told you. Those were accidents. The gun went off on its own," Leon shouted as he started to stand up. Wesker held him down.

"I knew these nerf guns were a bad idea," Barry said.

"Yeah right," Luis replied, his gun going off again. This time it nearly missed Claire.

"Noted," replied Wesker. "Just in case, we'll cover the eye."

"I didn't hit you in the face!" Leon shouted as he let Wesker put the bandage on his eye which was continuing to redden.

"You hit me in the chest. It hurt."

"So does having to hit the dirt because you don't know gun safety!" Chris shouted as he stomped up and forcefully removed the gun from Luis' grasp. While Leon and Luis watched, Chris carefully unloaded the Nerf gun.

"Leon," Chris said. "You too."

Leon rolled the eye that everyone could see and he obeyed. But not before firing another sponge bolt at Luis' chest.

Becky sighed. Why didn't they just give Ashley a gun?


	9. RE6: Attack of the Missing body part

**Children Playing**  
 **Resident Evil 6: Attack of the body parts**

Autumn leaves twisted in the crisp air and already ice was starting to form on the small pond in the centre of the crescent. A man and wife walked arm in arm as their small dog lead their way down the quaint little street. The white mop darted from wire-wrapped tree to gas-fed streetlight pole to wire-wrapped tree. The wife laughed at something the man said and she shivered under her furs as a blast of cool air rushed around them. She started to reply when-

"I'm missing a arm!"

A couple froze and searched for the screaming boy who was likely in desperate need of medical attention. They found the screaming child in a centre of mannequins' arms, legs, and torsos. Surrounding the child were other children in various poses.

A small blonde boy lowered his blue handgun and lowered his sunglasses. He wore a leather coat was too large for his frame. Beside him stood a brown haired girl whose hair must have been heavily gelled to prevent the fall wind from thrashing it around. She held a bright pink shotgun and still pointed it at the screaming boy.

Three other children lowered their arms and lifted zombie masks from their faces. Their healthy faces were a stark contrast to their torn and ragged clothing. The only boy of the group sagged as he shrugged off piles of green clothing. "Can we have a time-out? Jill is tired from wearing the BSAA armour under the zombie stuff."

The girl wearing blue hockey equipment under her clothing shrugged. "I'm okay. I think Becky needs the rest."

"I'm good," the smallest zombie-child said.

"Then I need a rest," the boy said as he sat down on the ground.

"Where's my arm, Leon?" the screaming child demanded once again.

The leather boy shrugged. "Why would I want your arm? Ask Wesker." The boy gestured to three teenagers who stood just outside the scene. The babysitters, perhaps?

One was blonde with his face in his palms. Another was a teen who seemed awaken by the scream as he lifted himself from the ground and sleepily yawned. And a final teenager who also lifted a zombie mask to reveal a determinedly growing beard.

"Why would Wesker have it?" the screaming boy demanded. The wind threw his long black hair from side to side as if sharing his fury.

"There it is!" The smallest zombie-child cried as she pointed towards the couple.

The couple instantly focused on the large shepherd-mix which was walking purposefully towards their white mop. In its mouth was a long white arm.

"Piers! No! Come back here!" shouted the other female zombie child as she dashed towards the dog.

The dog glanced over his shoulder and wagged his tail. The dog seemed to compress before lunging towards the couple. The man quickly scooped up the white mop. The wife ducked behind the man as the black dog rushed closer. The zombie girl was too far.

"Piers!" shouted the zombie boy. "Fall! Back!"

The dog froze mid-step. He glanced over his shoulder and woofed without dropping the arm. It sounded like "Now?"

"Piers! Fall back now!"

The dog glanced back at the mop and couple. It tilted its head.

"PIERS!"

The dog took another step.

"Pato," the previously screaming boy said. He picked up an arm and threw it at the zombie boy.

The dog's ears swivelled as he heard the grunt of pain.

"I need help!" the zombie boy shouted at the same time the rest of the children screamed, "Piers!"

The dog quickly turned and ran towards the children. The couple didn't wait for an apology before rushing from the neighbourhood.

The three teenagers watched them retreat. Once the crescent and park were adult free, the sleepy one said, "Think we should put up warning signs next time?"


	10. RE5: Just hang in there

**A/n: As some of you may have noticed, chapters have been posted later and later in the day. The reason is I'm an accountant and it is tax season where I live. For the next few weeks or so, posting may be delayed and I probably won't be able to reply to PMs or reviews. That being said I do read all of them and I want to thank everyone for their reviews, alerts, and favourites. I will reply evenutally but probably not before April 30th. Chapters will still be uploaded weekly for The Mystery of Raccoon City and biweekly for Children Playing.**

 **Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Children Playing

Resident Evil 5 - Just Hang on

" _Well Chris," Wesker said. "How are you finding it?"_

 _The air was hot. Chris wanted to wipe the sweat from his face but if he let go, he would die. Below their platform, lava tossed and turned. His partner had disappeared and he was alone with the monster._

" _You're running out of time, Chris." Wesker asked as he twirled the gun he had stolen from Chris. The monster tossed the weapon over his shoulder. Chris heard the gunpowder explode before the gun could even touch the lava. "There's only ten minutes left before it's finished."_

 _Bastard, Chris thought as he felt himself losing his grip. Wesker was just playing with him. If Chris didn't fall to his death, the monster would end him. He needed a plan._

 _The rock in Chris' hand started to slip. Chris doubled his grip. He wasn't going down without a fight. Chris raised himself and braced his feet against the wall. Wesker was going down._

" _Given up, Chris?"_

 _Not even close. Chris half turned. He raised his arm and aimed his fist at Wesker's face. He started to push away from the cliff when the rock in his hand slipped._

"Damn it!" Chris said as his chopsticks slipped and dropped from his fingers. They hit the plate with a light tink.

"Language," Wesker said as he expertly fished a piece of wonton from his soup. "That's five minutes less for entertainment."

Chris glanced to his left where Claire lay in front of the radio in the family room. Her little feet kicked the air as she drew a picture. Chris looked back as his food and groaned. At this rate, he'd be in negative entertainment time again.

 **A/N: I apologize to die-hard fans of Resident Evil 5. My memory of the game isn't very clear. I remember Wesker, volcanoes, Chris punching a rock, Jill being blonde, and Sheva shouting at me a lot. Ironically, as readers of Reality know, Resident Evil 5 inspired the first installment of Children Playing.**


	11. RE2: Nasty Situation

**Children Playing**

 **Resident Evil 2: Nasty Situation**

"I just don't know how much more I can take. I know the rest of the neighbourhood wants us gone. Even the kids are treating Nate differently now."

Mrs. Kennedy quietly sighed as she turned away from the counter with a plate full of sandwiches and two glasses filled with liquid of a dark red nature. Here they went again.

"Have you considered moving?" she asked knowing the answer.

"We can barely pay for the house we're in and with Nate's… issues." Her sister trailed off before sweeping her hands to her face. She laid her arms and face on the table and groaned.

"What am I going to do?" she wailed.

Mrs. Kennedy placed the plate on the table and put one of the glasses in front of her younger sister. She sat down and sipped at the liquid in her glass. She studied her sister's form for a moment before asking, "How... is Nate?"

Her sister snorted and raised her head enough to stare at Mrs. Kennedy over her arms. "Still talking to people that don't exist."

"What does Francis think?" Mrs. Kennedy asked as she gently nudged the sandwiches closer to her sister.

Her sister raised herself a bit more and reached for a sandwich. "He isn't home enough to think."

Oh boy, Mrs. Kennedy thought. She could see the shadows creeping around her sister drifting closer, threatening to pull her back. A shadow grabbed her sister's hand. Mrs. Kennedy's hand tightened on her drinking glass. The shadow tried to pull her sister's hand away from the sandwiches but her sister grabbed a sandwich and bit into it. Mrs. Kennedy blinked. The shadows were gone.

"...my own fault for marrying a man of the sea," her sister said as she wiped the crumbs from her hands and reached for the drinking glass. "You know what do mom and dad say?"

"They're, well you know," Mrs. Kennedy said. "You remember how they were when I married James. They come around."

"James at least comes home each night."

Mrs. Kennedy closed her eyes against the image that flashed in front of her eyes. Her husband stepping into a dark room and splashes of red covering the walls. "For now," she said. She drank deeply from her glass.

"Curse it. I'm sorry, Zoey. I wasn't thinking." Her sister reached out and touched her arm. "How is James' arm?"

"Better but I think Leon saw us changing the bandages. He was asking about firearms this morning."

"If he only saw the bandage changing and nothing that came afterwards, count your blessings," her sister said with a mischievous smile. She tilted her head back and drank the liquid in her glass. Her sister shook herself and placed the empty glass on the table. She reached for another sandwich. "Okay. Pity party over. How's Kyle and Leon?"

Mrs. Kennedy sipped at the remaining liquid in her glass. "Kyle's working part-time. He's doing really well. Mr. Mathews says he could be full-time if he wanted to drop out of school and Leon's-"

The boy himself pushed open the backdoor. Mrs. Kennedy half rose from her chair. He had his shoes off for once and his grass stained socks were sparklingly compared to the rest of him. The boy was covered head to toe in dirt and his hair was dripping with water. Mrs. Kennedy searched the boy for cuts or bruises but there were none. She sat back down.

"Hi Aunt Cassie," Leon said as he stepped into the house. "Mom, where's the spare soap and rags?"

"Under the kitchen counter."

"Thanks."

Mrs. Kennedy caught her sister's eyes. The younger woman nodded towards the area where the small boy was rummaging under the sink. Mrs. Kennedy shrugged and swallowed the last of her drink. The boy let out a whoop of joy when he had located what he was looking for. In a flash of mud-coloured blue, he was rushing back towards the backdoor.

"I have a feeling I might regret asking, what what were you doing?" Aunt Cassie asked as he reached the door.

Leon stood as high as his stocking feet could get him and puffed out his chest. "I was chasing a lady through the sewers." The boy disappeared out the backdoor and had his shoes back on before either women would think of a reply.

Aunt Cassie watched the boy run off in the direction of the pond.

"And I thought Nate was the crazy one."

 **A/N: Apologies. I need to put this story on hold for the next bit. I can't say it will return as the new Resident Evil game (RE2R) has zapped my creative spirit for the moment. However, I do have an idea for where I want to take the story now (changing it from random drabbles to a solid story line and making it more episodic rather than tiny moments). With the changes, the redo will be posted as a new story. If you would like to be alerted when the new story is up, please add this story (if you haven't already) to your story alerts. I will post a new chapter with news of the story.**


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